Artur Davis' journey to the right continues with choice spot speaking to influential Republican group

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Artur Davis' journey to the political
right continues with news that the former Democratic Congressman from
Birmingham has landed a spot at this year's gathering of the Conservative Political
Action Conference, or CPAC.

Sponsored by the American Conservative Union, the 40th
annual CPAC meeting is a highly anticipated gathering of some of the most
conservative organizations in the nation. CPAC has played an increasingly
influential role in the GOP since its founding in 1973.

The meeting has become a must-attend event for conservatives
and for GOP politicians looking to connect with some of the most influential
conservative leaders in the nation.

Davis, who served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives
as a Democrat representing Birmingham and much of the state's Black Belt, has
been invited to address CPAC during its gathering March 14-16.

The invitation is another chance for Davis to enhance his
still new Republican credentials. Last year Davis switched his allegiance from
the Democratic Party to the GOP surprising many in both parties. Davis followed
up by endorsing Mitt Romney during a speech at the GOP convention in Tampa.

Four years earlier Davis had been one of then Sen. Barack
Obama's most ardent supporters. At the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver, Davis
seconded Obama's nomination during a speech carried nationally.

In 2010 Davis sought the Alabama Democratic Party nomination
for governor and was widely seen as the first African-American with a chance of
winning the state's highest office. But Davis lost badly in the primary losing
not just a majority of white voters but also black voters, many of them
disenchanted by Davis' opposition to Obama overhaul of health care.

Davis was also opposed by long time traditional black
political groups closely aligned with the Democratic Party, groups he had been
critical of for years and whose endorsements he did not seek.

Davis, who lives in Virginia, is widely believed to be mulling
a run for Congress as a Republican representing his new state.